


A Testament to a Hero

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-28
Updated: 2009-12-28
Packaged: 2019-01-19 23:26:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12420399
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: "So this exclusive interview became more of a portrait of what defines the Boy-Who-Lived. Questions like what happened in the Forbidden Forest, where he was this past year, and what his relationship with Professor Dumbledore was will not be answered in this article. This article is a testament, a testament to Harry Potter from those who know and love him





	A Testament to a Hero

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

A Testament to a Hero  
     _by Roger Davies_

  


_Warning: The name of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named will be used frequently throughout this article per a request by Mr. Potter._

As a reporter living through the Second War, working for the _Daily Prophet_ as it slowly became a paper of lies and betrayal, I thought that I would never have the opportunity to speak personally with Harry Potter. After all, when I finally graduated from Hogwarts and was offered a job at the _Prophet_ , it was 1996, a year now synonymous with the return of Lord Voldemort and the true rise of Harry Potter to fame as the public was finally aware that he truly had battled Voldemort multiple times, that he had watched poor Cedric Diggory die at his hands, and that he had been marked for greatness as a mere infant. Between 1996 and May of 1998, I watched as the truth was kept out of the _Prophet_ ’s pages, as colleagues began to act oddly and suspiciously, as they suddenly began to disappear along with hundreds of others. With those occurrences, my dream and hope to not only have an exclusive interview with Mr. Potter but to see the day where Voldemort was no longer in power seemed to slowly dissipate.

Then the day came. The Second of May in the year 1998, a day that will be remembered until the end of time. That day, our world breathed a sigh of relief, cried tears of joy collectively as the first image of a sleepy looking Harry Potter sitting at a Hogwarts dining table surrounded by his supporters and fellow warriors splashed the clean pages of the special edition Daily Prophet that bore one story aptly named, _And We are Free._

It has been two months since that wonderful May morning, and the Wizarding world has been celebrating and grieving together as we enjoy our blessed new life and think of the hundreds that we lost over the many years Voldemort and his Death Eater’s loomed over us. Since his victory, Harry Potter has been noticeably quiet and private, understandably so. He did his duty as an icon and attended countless memorials, gave his condolences to the families who lost loved ones, and has been a comforting shoulder for many mother’s in need of consoling. After a week filled with funerals and memorials, Potter quietly stepped out of the spotlight and has been staying with Molly and Arthur Weasley at their family home in Ottery St. Catchpole. According to other reporters, Potter has continuously turned them down for an exclusive interview, and I was told by many that I would not get a word out him, no matter how hard I tried. Well, this reporter is more determined than your everyday writer. I, unlike others, knew Potter from our school days, had battled him a few friendly games of chess, and had fought with him on that day two months ago. 

When I asked Harry Potter if he would be willing to give me an interview, he immediately refused. Harry Potter is known, among other things, as being extremely media shy. According to Neville Longbottom, a longtime friend of Potter’s and a hero from the Battle of Hogwarts, “Harry Potter would rather date and marry the giant squid than take a picture or speak to a reporter.” An apt judgment I would say. I bothered Potter for about a week, practically begging at his feet for even a statement and what I was given was, I suppose, better than nothing.

When asked what, if anything, he would change about his journey to the defeat of Voldemort, Potter looked at me with sadness in his eyes and said, “I would have acted sooner, found a way to save the lives that were lost while I sitting around, biding my time. That is what I would change, but I will have to live with that guilt.”

With that, he left the kitchen of the Weasley’s home and left me to think of who Harry Potter truly is. Yes, I knew him during our Hogwarts days, but I did not know him personally like others did. I knew him in passing, saying hello to each other in the corridors and ribbing each other after a rousing match of quidditch, but in reality, I did not know what the essence of Harry Potter was.

So this exclusive interview became more of a portrait of what defines the Boy-Who-Lived. Questions like what happened in the Forbidden Forest, where he was this past year, and what his relationship with Professor Dumbledore was will not be answered in this article. This article is a testament, a testament to Harry Potter from those who know and love him most. 

I began my journey with the Weasley’s, the family that took in a young Harry Potter as their own and gave him the family he lost so many years ago. 

“He’s always been such a sweet, quiet young man,” Molly Weasley gushed as she cooked her family dinner. “After all that’s happened to him, what with his parents and his relatives and all that happened in his Hogwarts years, Harry has always been a kind, loving, selfless boy. I suppose that day on the platform, when he asked for my help and met the boys, was somewhat like fate. He found himself a family, and we found ourselves another son.”

Molly Weasley recollects these moments with Harry with motherly tenderness, something that she is quite known for. The matriarch of the Weasley family is renowned for her spellwork against Bellatrix Lestrange after the Death Eater had nearly killed her daughter, Ginny Weasley. It is only fitting that Molly Weasley, fierce and loving, somewhat crazy in her protectiveness for her family, would become like a mother to Harry Potter.

As I continued speaking to Mrs. Weasley, three Weasley children came into the room. Ron Weasley, the best friend of Harry Potter since age 11, Ginny Weasley, close friend to Potter and rumored girlfriend, and George Weasley, co-founder of Weasley Wizarding Wheezes all entered the kitchen and began to speak with me about their close friend.

“Harry is the reason we, Fred and I, started the joke shop,” George Weasley began, speaking of his late twin brother, Fred Weasley. “He gave us the money he won from the Triwizard Tournament and told us to go for it. He was always a good sport too, about jokes I mean. Never got mad, so odd too because when we prank Ron, he would yell and scream like a little girl.”

After a moment of some good-natured fighting between the two brothers, the older of the two continued. “Seriously, Harry is as much a part of this family as any of us are. He’s done more for my family than I could really say, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone as loyal as Harry.”

“How has Harry helped in your healing process? He has obviously experience loss in his life, so he must be a good person to turn to,” I mention to Weasley who turns paler as I put the focus on him.

He coughs and shrugs. “The loss of someone you love, like my brother, is something that takes time. The pain doesn’t go away; it just becomes more bearable every day. Harry taught me that, and I think about that fact every day. “ 

I watch Weasley leave before turning to the youngest Weasley child. Ginny Weasley is beautiful, a fact well known throughout Hogwarts. She has long auburn colored hair and is a petite young woman with a giant personality; she is hard to ignore, to say the least.

“So, Miss Weasley, anything you’d like to say in regards to Harry that you want the world to know?” I ask her, hoping to nudge her in the direction I would like her answer to go. She does not catch on but gives a worth answer nonetheless. 

“The thing about Harry is that he’s so…” she trails off, smiling. “He’s so unselfish and modest. He would never admit the fact that he’s the reason why my family hasn’t been ripped apart already. We may have lost Fred, but my dad and I wouldn’t be here either if it weren’t for Harry. We owe a lot to him.”

I decided now was a good time to ask the sole Weasley daughter about the current status of her relationship with Potter. As expected, no direct answer was given. Just a smile and a wink before leaving the room. I think, however, that says more than words. Readers, you may do with that what you will. 

In the kitchen, I am now left alone with one of the people who know Harry Potter best. One part of the golden trio, Ron Weasley has been best friends with the Boy-Who-Lived since their first meeting on Platform Nine and Three Quarters in 1991. He has seen Potter through six tumultuous years at Hogwarts, fought with him on numerous occasions, and disappeared along with him and Hermione Granger, the other part of the trio, this past year. 

Weasley speaks before I have the chance to ask any questions. “I have to say, first of all, that I’m not going to say anything about where we went last year or any of those ‘frequently asked questions’ about Harry’s life.”

“What about questions about Harry’s early life? Before he came to Hogwarts?” I asked tentatively. 

“Definitely not.”

I sat back for a moment and stared at the intimidating Weasley. He is quite tall and burly, a contrast to the somewhat shorter and willowy Potter. As I regard him, slightly nervous as he stares impassively at me, I am impressed and rather jealous of the dedication and loyalty Ron Weasley has for his best mate. Some people would capitalize on having a famous friend, especially one as widely known and respected as Harry Potter. Weasley has defended his friend from the ridicule of other students and the Ministry and followed him into the unknown after leaving school. Not many would make those sacrifices.  

I accept his terms, and the interview continues.

“What was your first meeting like with Harry?” I questioned.

Weasley laughs and shrugs. “To be honest with you, Roger, it was really nothing that extraordinary. He asked my mum how to get onto the platform, and then I found that his compartment on the train was the only one empty, and so the story goes. We just kind of worked well together as mates. I think it’s funny though, how little Harry’s truly changed over the years.”

“How so?”

“Well,” Weasley continues with another smile. “He’s always been rather small. That hasn’t changed much, and he’s always been a bit tetchy. It’s hard to describe, but I think even after all the years, he’s still somewhat unsure of himself, and as a result, he’s rather twitchy.”

We have a good laugh over Potter’s odd tendencies. As I remember him, he was always a bit nervous looking; looking back, I believe that that was a survival skill of his, not just an odd tick.

“But really, if anything, Harry’s become less unsure of himself. His life has been less than ideal, and I think that that made him self-conscious. You see him now, and as my mother says, all you see is a man ready to take on the world. He took on the world and won, so I think that after all these years, the one thing that has truly changed about Harry is that he is finally comfortable with who he is, with his destiny, and with the fact that he is worth so much more than others have made it seem.”

“That was quite eloquent,” I say, a bit shocked by his words. Ron laughs, and I follow suit, knowing that he can tell I am quite surprised by his articulacy.

But then, we are thrown back into a serious conversation when I bring up the topic of the mystery in the Forbidden Forest and his reaction to the supposed death of Potter.

Weasley remains quiet for a while. He stares off into space, and after another minute passes, I begin to think he has no interest in continuing our interview. I am nearly ready to pack up my things when he turns to me again.

“I’d thought about what I would feel, what I would do if anything like that ever happened to Harry,” Weasley explains with a calmness that surprises me. “It’s horrible to think of, but I had to be realistic. His life’s always been in danger, and I worried constantly, especially these past few years, that one day his luck would run out. Well, all that I imagined was just a fraction of what it was really like. Thinking that my best mate had been killed, that he’d died alone, was… it was…” Weasley stutters a bit here. “It was one of the worst moments of my life. I couldn’t help but think of how I should have been there, should have been with him to protect him, not that Harry needs protecting, but I should have been there, you know? I kept seeing him all alone out there, facing his last moments without anyone on his side. Then, after hearing all that Voldemort said and hearing all the Death Eater’s laughing and taunting, I felt angry. I’d thought I’d just lost both my brother and my best mate in a matter of three hours, and I just went mad. I kept thinking of how Harry would want us to keep fighting and then it all made sense, what we all had to do.”

“I know even for someone who wasn’t particularly close with Harry it was devastating to think that he’d been killed,” I said, thinking of my own reaction to his supposed death. “I can only imagine what it was like for you and your family.”

“Yeah, well, that’s all in the past now. I think I can speak for most people by saying that we’re all ready to move on. I don’t want to forget what happened because that would be a mistake, but I would like to put it behind me. We’re all ready to just live our lives, not have to worry about some cracked up psychopath trying to take us down. Harry, I know, is more than ready to get on with his life.”

I decided to ask one last question. “Do you know what’s up next for Harry?”

Here, Weasley stood up and smiled broadly. “There’s no way of knowing what Harry will do next, but I think that’s what makes our friendship so interesting, don’t you think, Roger?”

I couldn’t help but grin as I watched him walk out of the room. 

I waited four more days until I could get my final interview. Hermione Granger was somewhat elusive as she returned from Australia secretly three days ago and had been hiding away with her parents at the Burrow. When I received an owl from her that she would be willing to take a few minutes out of the day to give me an interview, I was happy to know that she would talk to me at all. Granger, a muggleborn who has been at the top of her class since she was a first year and has shown an interest in working at the newly reformed Ministry, has been friends with Potter and Weasley since their first year. She has, as many have said, been the rock between the two, the voice of reason when the others wanted to act simply on emotion. 

I met Hermione Granger in the backyard of the Burrow, and she kindly offered me tea before we began. 

“So, Hermione, how would you define your relationship with Harry? Rumors have been circulating for years that the two of you have some secret romance going on,” I explained. Granger’s mouth twitched slightly before she sighed heavily.

“Just because I am a girl, and my best friend happens to be a guy, does not mean that I am dating him,” she states with sternness that reminds me briefly of Minerva McGonagall. “I love Harry; he is a large part of my life, and I couldn’t imagine any life without him, but it is the love that you have for a brother. He is the brother I never had, and I’m the sister he never had. That defines what our relationship is.”

“So he’s always been the brotherly figure to you?”

“Yes, always. And I’ve always been a sister to him. It’s just how it’s always been. We fight, we disagree, we laugh, and we have fun. Nothing beyond friendship has ever gone on between us.”

“What about Ron Weasley?” I throw in, feeling rather daring asking about the nature of that relationship.

There was a hint of a blush, but Hermione smiled graciously. “Roger, that really has nothing to do with Harry, does it?”

“Touché, Miss Granger,” I tell her. “Well, how has this year of hiding affected your relationship with Harry?”

Granger seems slightly unsure of herself, something that few have ever seen her look as she is the one with all the answers, but quickly, she collects herself. “It has been a difficult year to say the least. We have seen things and done things that will never be mentioned to anyone outside each other. If anything though, it has made us grow closer. We three spent so much time together, living in a tent and just coming into contact with each other. Of course, we’re closer on a whole different level. Harry was there for me when I needed him most, and I for him. I think that we shared something that changed who we are today, and that something made us become closer than ever.”

“Any comment on the Ministry break in or the robbery of Gringotts?” I ask, remembering hearing on the wireless network, PotterWatch, the resistance channel run by the previously anonymous Lee Jordan, of how it was thought to be Potter and his gang who had orchestrated two of the most difficult and infamous break-ins in history.

Granger smiled again, chuckling as she sipped her tea. “No comment. Maybe one day Harry will give you the details on those stories.”

“How would you describe Harry?” 

“Like how most people would define him. Kind, loving, loyal, stupidly noble, modest, extremely hot headed. I can say a rather long list of all about Harry’s character, but it can never truly say what an amazing person he really is. Despite his flaws - and don’t get me wrong; he has his flaws - he is one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met. You’ll rarely come across a person like Harry,” she finishes, sipping her tea.

I think it is obvious to me and to those reading that while love is not in the air for Hermione Granger and the Chosen One, they have a bond that is something you rarely see. Sibling love, Granger put it, and when I briefly see Potter as he sits in the kitchen of the Burrow as I leave, his face lights up, and he hugs Granger before pulling her into a seat and going deep into conversation. I must admit, as I was with Ron Weasley, I am slightly jealous at the wonderful group of people surrounding our savior.

I decide to have on last crack at getting that exclusive interview as I walk into the Burrow to say my goodbyes to the gracious family. Potter smiles at me and stands, grasping my hand. “So I see you’re about done with all your interviews. Heard enough about me?”

I laugh and shrug. “I think I could do without hearing your name and how wonderful you are for a bit of time, but I doubt leaving this house will get me away from you or the world’s adoration of you.”

Potter sighs and shrugs. “What can you do?”

As we stand in the kitchen, Granger, Potter, and I, I try to muster up the courage that is needed. This is my last chance, isn’t it? 

“Harry,” I say hesitantly. “Could I possibly ask you one question before I head out?”

An odd sort of smile spreads across Harry’s face, and he nods. “Shoot.”

“Do you really think it’s all over? Voldemort and all the death and killing? Do you believe it’s all over?” I ask, sounding much younger than my years. It is hard around Harry Potter to not feel young; his face and eyes are filled with a wisdom and knowledge that is only gained by experience. Potter has been through more than I ever will, more than any of us probably ever have or will go through, and whenever I am around him, others I imagine as well feel like they can only look up to him for answers, for reassurance. It is an odd feeling but one that I know I am not alone in feeling.

At my question, Harry answers immediately, his face serious and no trace of doubt to be found. “Yes, Roger, it’s all over. We can all finally live our lives now, so get out of here and get on with yours.”

I nod and floo out. 

Some time has passed since I endeavored to get an exclusive interview with Potter, an exclusive that turned into a series of interviews with those closest to him. Since then, I have thought about the words that were shared with me. People say a lot about Harry Potter – that he’s a hero, a villain, a savior, a killer, an honest citizen, a lying fame seeker – but from what I’ve learned and what I hope you learn from this article is that Harry Potter is just a man. He is just a man who became a hero by chance. Harry Potter never asked for his fame, he never tried to find some way to get recognition and adoration; he is simply a man, a young man, who refused to take the easy way out.

Maybe I didn’t get the chance to go down in history to get the first interview with the great hero of our time; maybe I was unsuccessful in convincing Potter to speak exclusively with me; maybe I’ll never get the chance to truly interview him, but really, that doesn’t matter anymore. What truly matters, at least to me, is that I learned while writing this article. I learned that there truly is good in the world; that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, and we need to learn to remember that in our times of darkness.


End file.
